Dear Tim,
As I was leaving for work this morning, there were two ladies walking down the street with umbrellas and toting bags. Thought the Jehovah’s only worked Barrigada Heights on Saturday mornings at 730am. (haha!) Come to find out they are/were from Barrigada parish soliciting funds for Annual Appeal.
They asked if they could leave an envelope for the Appeal and if they could come by later. I asked them, ‘what do you do with the money? Where does it go? How is it accounted for? What are the priorities for the money? Who is the custodian?’
Wow. They looked at each other and said, ‘why are you asking these questions? Don’t you know that the Archbishop is the one who has the authority….’ I said, ‘authority for what? To spend my hard-earned money at his own discretion and disposal? Is that okay with you?’
One of the ladies could tell I wasn’t going to back down, so she started talking to me in Chamorro – ‘pot fabot, ….’ I told her ‘Ma’am, I don’t know you and you probably don’t know me so let me help you understand where I’m coming from. My family has been part of the church family forever. We have been generous whenever the church asked because we loved and trusted the leadership until Archbishop Flores passed.
Let me give you an example: When Archbishop Flores said no abortion, no gambling, no whatever – he explained why and pleaded for the conscientious decisions of the faithful to follow his lead for the good of the people. He regularly visited the schools, visited the sick, incarcerated, found and supported programs for whatever few homeless or mis-guided/abused/abusive as he could. His CCA was always successful without fanfare. He held the love and respect of his faithful from young to old.’
They nodded their heads ‘yes, nai ha-gao, but Archbishop Apuron….’ I said ‘yes, Apuron has never had the respect, love or leadership because he has always been arms length in his position. What other archbishop goes and makes a singing CD, perms and colors his hair, gallivants and politicizes the faith and basically over 30 years alienates his faithful to other churches and sects?’ How can you explain the growth of Christian schools such as Harvest and St. Paul’s popularity leaving behind the Catholic school system he doesn’t even endorse/encourage?
So I tell them, ‘you want me to give money to have this guy go and spend where ever he wants and not be accountable? You want me to entrust money to this guy who pleasures himself by defaming beloved sons of the church? My friends Father Paul and Monsignor James? And why does he feel compelled to lie about practically everything he’s questioned about?’
Holy cow! That set them off! ‘Oh are you friends with Tim Rohr? Don’t you know he’s not even from here?’
I said, ‘oh like those people the Archbishop takes his orders from? That he gave Yona property to?’
At that point, I just raised my hand and told said I had to get to work. When they asked if they could leave envelopes, I just said not to bother. I will be giving my money to Sanctuary and Guam Cancer Care where I can see the money at work where it says it will be used.’
Thank goodness I took my blood pressure medication!
Anyway, have a blessed day!
YES! Tim Rohr is NOT from here....with that being said we ought to be ashamed of ourselves that someone who is "not" from here is defending and standing up to the three bullies on the hill. To this Anon commenter....aye sus! I felt my blood pressure rising just reading this. But I like I've always said: YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID!...lol
ReplyDeleteYes, it's pretty funny when the only think I'm doing is standing up for people who ARE from here. Their comment gives us a clue though of what Pius (who is not from here) is teaching them to think.
DeleteSmells of Pius memtality.
ReplyDeleteAMEN! BLESSINGS ON YOU FOR YOUR HONESTY!
ReplyDeleteIf only they go back to the AAA and tell them this encounter. Maybe that will wake up the Archbishop that something is indeed wrong. Or maybe not. If he doesn't realize this yet after a Lulu Duenas wrote him a letter. After a Carmen Kasperbauer and a Toni Sanford spoke. After the former finance council appealed to him to talk with Msgr James, I don't think he will finally realize something is wrong because of this encounter at Barrigada Heights. Really. House-to-house solicitation. How long can they go? Or in this case since it is Barrigada Hts., how high can they go. SMH.
ReplyDeleteLOL.... AND TAKE THAT ARCHBISHOP..... AND TAKE THAT PIUS.... AND TAKE THAT ADRIAN....... AND TAKE THAT CLAROS FOR YOUR UMATUNA SPECIAL...... AND TAKE THAT KIKO....... AND TAKE THAT NCW!!!!!!!!! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THIS IS THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF HOW WE SHOULD DEMENSTRATE OURSELVES WITH THESE FOLLOWERS OF THE NCW.EVERYONE OF US IS A HUMAN BEING, WE ARE NOT COMPUTERS TO BE PROGRAMED TO THINK THE WAY THEY WANT US TO THINK. STAND AND FIGHT GIVE THEM A PIECE OF YOUR MIND IF THEY WANT A PIECE OF YOUR MONEY. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GUAM WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS. SPRED THE WORD. FOLLOW YOUR HEARTS BUT USE YOUR MIND ALSO... LOL... LET TAKE BACK OUR CHURCH AND EVERYTHING THAT BELONGS TO HER... I HAVE SEEN THE PRAY GROUP IN FRONT OF THE CHANCERY HEY ARE DOING A GOOD JOB BY KEEPING THE EVIL CONTAINED AND OCCUPIED...HEY TIM WHEN IS THE NEXT MEETING?
ReplyDeleteSee sidebar. Top right.
DeleteOh how I sincerely hope they come knocking on my door!!!!!! I can't wait!
ReplyDelete"Diego Luis de San Vitores as a Saint for this island? Don't you know hes not even from here?"
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm friends with Tim Rohr. I mean, yes, I'm friends with Tim. ROAR!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the ROAR family is growing and NOT waiting for you solicitors. We are talking to our families and friends to keep their checkbooks closed when you come knocking on our doors. Many already don't blindly put anything in the baskets on Sunday.
DeleteI will bet a big pot of mongo beans and shrimp, they say it wasn't us we don't do that.
ReplyDeleteIn the past, one person called us year after year to remind us it was charities appeal time, were we able to give, when is a good time to drop by, that kind of thing.
Now they go door-to-door like election campaigning/canvassing? How LOW can you go?
Biba Tim!
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Now we send out the minions? The Neos are in panic mode. Money running out? That is what happens when you "suck the juice" out of peoples wallets and spirit. Come back Neos to the real Catholic Church and you will see the generosity of the people who built the churches and chapels of this island lend itself again. Of course that means leaving the NCW cult. By the way, Tim may not be from here, but neither are any of us! Dig deep enough and you will find that we are all transplants of some kind. Anyone who has sacrificed as much as Tim Rohr and his family has for our Church, can call Guam home anytime in my book. Those of you who continue to follow the heretic teachings of that Spaniard have forfeited your right to call Guam home. Go to Spain or New Jersey, just take all the fake priest with you.
ReplyDeleteAmen Joe! Amen!
ReplyDeleteI'm friends with Tim Rohr! And what? LOL
ReplyDeleteJesus isn't from here either. Now do you see why we're not following the NEO? We are following the One True Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. It's not too late to come home. May God bless you.
ReplyDeleteI second that emotion Mr. Joseph A. Santos. The Rohrs are family in my book.
ReplyDeleteReally Claros..do you think a series of columns in the Umatuna is going to boost your aa collection? Pass that trash bag around a couple more times for the decades of use of our churches, social hall, meeting rooms, chapels, etc. Until then don't come knocking on my door.
ReplyDeleteI would've asked, did you know that only one, ONE, of the board of guarantors listed for the RMS is from Guam? How did that happen?
ReplyDeleteSure, Tim is not from here. But he's a Guamanian. Unlike the many green card holders aka "Archdiocesan Missionary", I'd rather trust Tim. And he's the one without the collar!
In my parish, the Christian Mothers were tasked/requested however you want to word it, to go out and solicit funds for the AAA. Don't know if any actually are doing it, but I know some who refused because of their distrust of the Chancery and Archbishop.
ReplyDeleteTim, maybe you should like this article, regarding a recent Decree from Archbishop Mons. Luigi Negri, Pastor of Ferrara-Comacchio Diocesis. It concerns the reorganization of Sacred Liturgy in that diocesis. Look at it and let's see if you can guess which lay movement has been banished since 20 years in the diocesis.... ;-)
ReplyDeleteOutstanding Decree about Liturgy
p.s. Sorry if don't translate it, but it's quite long and I'm not so skilled in english translation. Anyway with a translator you should understand the meaning.
Cheers from Italy
My blood pressure went up while reading this, funny because I am quite healthy. Correction friends, just like many others that weren't born here but have lived here for decades, Tim Rohr IS from here. Last I checked what constitutes being FROM here follows:
ReplyDelete• Live in or purchase a home/apartment/dwelling here if you can.
• Spend substantial time here including vacations and holidays.
• Maintain social and business relations here.
• Have at least one bank account here.
• Establish a living/mailing address with the U.S. Postal Service here
• Have your important documents registered to your address here (insurance, memberships, licenses, etc.).
• You have a job, pay taxes, and file tax returns here.
• Obtain a driver's license and car registration here.
• Register to vote here.
• If you have professional licenses here.
So based on this tutelage, Tim Rohr has more right to claim to be "from" here even more than a lot of us chammorros on island (including chammorros that live off-island) as he has not only been living, but also tirelessly contributing to our island for years. Tim and his beautiful family have been on this island for many years, helped and continues to educate many on the Catholic faith, defend our faith and defend victims of abortion, to name a few of the magnificent things he has done and is doing to assist in preserving the good on our island via civil law and our beloved church per canon law. Meanwhile, he has become an esteemed member of our church, our community, and he and his lovely wife and their children (10 of 11 were born here) have embraced our culture to be able to relate and become Guamanian.
I wonder how many people "from here" remember the memos posted on most Catholic homes to prevent folks from other religions to try to convert them in the 80s and 90s. Lol I bet Tim and his wife remember because they are "from here". Why would those ladies not find it odd to go trolling door to door, especially if they're of the biha (biha=old lady) demographic.
(contd.)
ReplyDeleteDear biha ladies walking through villages,
In case you forgot to discern this, it is a discourtesy to homeowners and not lady-like to disturb peace in a strangers home. Kindly please stop wasting your time making other peoples' blood pressure go up and Praise God the person telling the story took his/her medicine before you bothered her. Kindly please stop interrupting peoples' daily routines from their homes. It's all just simply out of the ordinary and dissimilar to Catholic traditions to get donations for our church that way. It is also quite tai na'mamalao. This method is similar to proselytism which is entirely offbeat from our Catholic customs. The way I remember it, authentic church donations and raising of funds are largely organized way in advance, planned accordingly with numerous announcements in the church. These organized and very transparent events are typically held at the church and on rare occasions held at another venue with many parishioners and the event is customarily blessed by the pale of that church. Our church, the real one, consistently emphasizes the importance of traditions. So please dear bihas walking through the villages, when you and your friends come out of your slumber and realize just how different you are going about attaining donations, I urge you to pray, discern, and find out why you're tasked with this and work diligently to get straightforward answers. After all, our Lord is absolute, he's not a Lord of confusion right?! Instead of wasting your gas and your sweat equity, you're better off using your gas money and the money used to print envelopes and the like to go to your "appeal". Lastly, we the faithful have tons of money to give, just wanna know where it's going to is all, please understand this. So when you get straightforward answers please let us all know, we'd love to hear from you then.
Thank you, your friend in Christ.
Thank you for sharing your story, we can all be prepared and anticipate non-catholics that come to our doors for money or to proselytise .
Re: being from here. Isn't Apuron from Saipan, therefore "not from here"?
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this most delightful narrative! With your vivid retelling of the verbal exchange, I felt as though I were witnessing this encounter in person. Your questions and responses were on point and quite indicative of your high level of awareness of what ails our Archdiocese. You managed to make valid points while restraining yourself from a full-on attack — thank you for modelling such charity. You have provided an excellent outline for those of us who may find ourselves in similar situations.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you!!